Amalgamating apparatus



2 Sheets-Sl1ee't 2.

(No Model.)

J. THIELSEN, E. L." GIROUX &H. W. DILG;

AMALVGAMATING APPARATUS.

No. 337,535; Patented M r. 9, 1886."

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIo JULIUS ED ARD THIELSEN, EUGENE LOUIS emoux,AN HENRYWIILLIAM a i DILG, or" Ponr AnD, OREGON.

AMALGAMATI NG APPA RATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent N0. 337,535,8ated MarchB,1886. Application filcdOctoher 29, 1885. Serial No.1s1,270. (No model.)

1T0 azz whom it may concern:

drical screen, 13, which preferably consists of Beitknownthat.we.JUI.IUsEDWARD THIEL two metallic rings, a b that support a wiresnn,EuchreLoulsGi iouigand HENRY \VIL .cloth covering of suitable mesh topass the LIAM DILG, citizens of the UnitedStates. re} gold-bearing sand.One end ot' the cylindri- Siding at Portland, in the. county ofMultnocal screen B receives thespout or lower month, V

mall and State of Oregon, have invented cerc, of'a hopper, 0, throughwhich the ore is .tai n new and useful Improvements in Ainalfed. This ,lopper may he made in any apganiating Apparatus; and we do herebydeproved form, of wood or. metal, as preferred, clare the following tobe a full, clear, and exand is so arranged that its mouth a enters the 1act description of the invention, such as will cylindrical screen'at apointbelow its axis, as 6c enable others skilled in the art to which itapshown in Fig. 2. By referring to this figure pertains to make anduse'thc same. it will also be seen that the wire-cloth projects Ourinvcntioi'i relates to an improved appabeyond the ring a at that end ofthe screen, ratus for separating the precious inctalsfroin and soreceives the mouth 0 of the hopper, their ores," especially for savingand ainalthereby preventing any of the unscparated gamating placer gold.v 8 material from falling outside of the screen.

The invention consists in the combination, The hopper G and the axis orshalt D'of the. withasluiceway,of apairainalgamatorformed screcnB aresupportedby the sluice-boxA with inlet and-exit aprons and semicircularin any convenient manner, so that the screen 20 side troughs forretaining the gold and ainalwill occupy a transverse position inthesluice gram, while allowingthe water and sund 'to es box with thehopper C at one end. cape. i y r \Vithin the cylindrical screen B, and'exit further consists in the combination, with tending i'roinend to.end is a WOIlThd; that is i such slniceway and pan-ainalgan'iator, ofafastened] to the wirecloth covering and to 25 cylindrical rotary screenand a series of rifflcs,. therihgs a and b at each end. This worm and,iinally, inccrtain details of construction, propels or-conveys throughthe cylinder B, as nshercin-ai'ter more fully set fortlnand particu' thelatter rotates. all stones, gravel, and unlarl ilclincd by the claims atthe end ofythis productive material that is too course to passspecification. 7 i the meshes oi the wire-cloth. The unpro- InLhcanncxed drawingsillustrating thein ductive material and the lineproductivesand 8o vcution, Figure 1 is a side view of our inarethusreadilyseparated. lfdesirethaspout, i proved mnalgainatingapparatus, partlyinsec- E, may be attached to the sluice-box at theLion. Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of a dischargeend of thecylindrical screen B, as rotary cylindrical screen with inclosed wormshown in Fig: 8." 35 and adjacent orehopper. Fig. 3 is aperspcc- To theexterior of the cylindrical screen we tivc view of our improvedpan-alnalgainator. prefer to attach a. number of narrow longi- 1' ig.14is a plan view of the same. Fig. 5 is a "tudinal strips, 6 e, ofsheet-iron or other suit-v vertical longitudinal section of thepau-amalable material. These strips will prevent the gamator on the linew m of Fig. 4. Fig.6 is a sluice-box from being choked by sand falling ohorizontal section of the pan-auralganiator on through the screen, andwill give the sand at the line y 1'; of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a sectionalstrong forward motion as it passes the meshes view of one of therifllcs. Fig. 8 represents of the screen. It is obvious that thc stripse a 'niodification in the manner of rotating the be may be madeperfectly plain and straight, or cylindrical screcni Fig. iiidsavcrlical transthey may be given any desired" shape and I 5 versesection of the pan-amalgamator. on the width toinoifc perfectly ht themfor serving line z zof Fig. 5. i I I also as paddles to assist inrotating thescrcen. Referring to' these drawings, the letter A Insteador rotating the cylindrical screen 13 designates a sluice-box orsluiccway of suitaby means of paddle-strips e c, it may have its bleconstruction. At a convenient point in shaft connected by bcltingfto theshaft of a v 50 the sluice-box A is arranged a hollow cylinpaddle-wheel,F, located in the sluice-box, as. :00

, at the exit end is an upward and outward inshown in Fig. 8. In thiscase the cylindrical rotary screen B may or may not be provided with thestrips'e, as preferred.

Located in the sluiceway, at a suitable point below the revolvingscreen, is a pan-amalgamator, G, the construction of which is clearlyshown in Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6. This amalgamator may be made of copper,eastiron, or other material, and consists of a dish or pan, g, providedwith a communicating. semicircular trough, h, on each side. At the inletend of the pan is a metallic plate or apron, z, and

clined apron or sieve, is, composed 0F amalgamated steel wire-cloth offinemesh. The aprons i and In are supported by vertical longitudinalflanges m m, one on each side of the pan. These vertical flanges crossthe side troughs, h h, where they intersect the pan, as shown in Figs. 3and 4, and are provided with suitable openings for the passage ofsand'and water.

A transverse wall, 0, extends across the pan 9 beneath the inner edge ofthe wire apron k, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6.. This end of the pan 9 cantherefore communicate with the side troughs, h it, only through thewire-niesh apron k, while the opposite end of the panv communicatesdirectly with the side troughs which open into said pan beneath theinletapron t. The width of the amalgamatingpan corresponds with that ofthe sluice-box;

but the bottom of its main portion is one or two inches lower, so as toforma depression for receiving and holding the amalgam. The bottoms ofthe troughs h h are raised from 'halfan-inch to an inch above the bottomof the pan-body. They communicate with the pan by openings as large asthe size ofthe troughs \will permit, saidopenings being, the full widthof the troughs, and extending from their bottoms to the under sides ofthe aprons. To correspond with these openings, the bottom of theamalgamator, under the aprons and opposite said openings, is raised to alevel with the troughs. It will be seen that the apron 11 and flanges 'mm protect the openings of the troughs at the inlet end of the pan,

while the transverse wall 0 protects the open ings at the opposite end.\Vhen the pan G is in position, the inlet-apron i ison a level with thebottom of the sluice-box. The exit-apron k has its inner edge verynearly on a level with the inlet-apron, but gradually rises to- -wardthe outlet of the pan, as shown in Fig; 5. Beneath each apronisatriangular metallic block or casting, p 1), preferably made hollowand filled in with concrete or plaster- ,of-paris. These-blocks arearranged with their pointed ends toward the pan, as shown in Fig. 6, andserve to induce acurrent through the troughs h and pang in the directionof the arrows. The block 1) beneath the inlet-apron '5 extends from thebottom of the raised portion of the pan to the under side of said apron,but the block 19' does not extend quite to the under side of the wireexit-apron k, and has gam being forced out of the pan 9 and into thesluice by the force of the current and the weight of the materialreceived over the inletapron. It will be seen that as the water and sandflow from the pan 9 over the steel-wire apron k the latter will permitthe passage downward of water and amalgam, while excluding coarse sand,and the water and amalgam thus admitted through the wire-mesh apron willbe deflected to each side by the sloping top of the block 1), and willflow back into the pan 9 through the side troughs,h h, the sides of theblock 1) beneath the inletapron serving to direct/the current into thepan. A gentle revolving current is thus induced, which facilitates thesettling and retention of "the amalgam.

In order to subject the escaping sand to the further and repeated actionof an amalgamating agent, and more particularly to catch and Save anyfioat-gold or any amalgam that may have passed across the pan G, one ormore riifies, H, are arranged in the sluice-box, at a convenientdistance below the pan-amalgamator and at suitable intervals, as shownin Fig. 1. These riflles are in the shape of pockets, composed ofcast-iron or copper, and 'each is provided with an amalgamatedpartition, K, whichreaches towithin an inch or two of thebottom of theriffie, and in that way divides it into two chambers. In the bottom ofeach riffle isplaced a few pounds ofquicksilver. The partitions K aresupported in the riifies in any suitable manner, so as to he adjustable,as required, with relation to the quantity of quicksilver or amalgam inthe riflie.

The sand and water enter the riflle at s, and,

after having been subjected to the action of the amalgamating agent, thewaterand unproduetive sand leave the riffle at t, as shown in Fig. 7. Anopeni g, ,L, in the bottom of the riflle alfords a means of drawing otfthe amalgam at pleasure by simply withdrawing the plug that closes saidopening.

It is apparent that by the peculiar construction of our pan-amalgamator,with its aprons,

semicircular side troughs, and revolving currents of water and amalgam,a large saving of gold will be effected, especially in connection withthe rifiles and the rotary cylindrical screen.

. What we claim as our invention is- 1. In an amalgamating apparatus,the combination, with a sluice-box, of an amalgamating-pan having apronsi k and semicircular side troughs, h h, substantially as described.

2. In an amalgamating apparatus, the combination, with a sluieeway, ofan amalgamat ing-pan having a vertical wall, 0, at one end, sidetroughs, h h, communicating .with the body of said pan, metallicinlet-apron and wire exit-apron 7c, substantially'as described.

3. In an amalgamating apparatus, the combination, with a sluiceway, ofan amalgamating-pan having side flanges, m m, vertical transverse wall0, semicircular side troughs, h h, aprons 'i k, and triangular blocks 19p, 10- cated beneath said aprons, substantially as described.

4'; In an amalgamating apparatus, the com- I bination, with asluiceway,-0f an amalgamating-pan having a deep body, 9, withcommunicating side troughs, h h, of less depth,'and an inlet apron orplate, 7:, and exit-apron or sieve k, substantially as described. I

--5. In an amalgamating apparatus, the conibination, with a sluice-boxanda pan-amalgamator hayi mg a wire exit-apron, k. of a riffle, H,provided with an adjustable partition, K, substantially as described.

6. In an anialganiating apparatus, the combinationof the sluicebox A,having riffles H,

hopper G, and the amalgamating-pan G, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses. 3

JULIUS EDWARD THIELSEN.. EUGENE LOUIS GIROUX. HENRY WILLIAM DILG.Witnesses:

H. THIELSEN, WALLACE MOUNT.

Correction in Letters Patent No. 337,535.-

It is hereby certified that the residence of the patentees in LettersPatent No. 337,535, granted March 9, 1886, upon the application ofJulius Edward Thielsen, Eugene Louie Gironx, and Henry William Dilg, ofPortland, Oregon, for an improvement in Amalgamatin g Apparatus) traserroneously written in the grant Portland, Maine, whereas said residenceshould have been written Portland, Oregon; and that the said Letter-ePatent should be read with this correction therein that the same mayconform to the record of the case in the Patent Ofiice.

Signed, countersigned, and sealed this 20th day of April, A. D. 1836.

[SEAL] H. L. MULDROW,

Acting Secretary of the Interior. Uountersigned:

M. V. Momraeunnr,

Commissioner of Patents.

